3/9 Newsletter
3/9 Newsletter
We are approaching the finish line of our first project in Easthampton and have submitted part one of our zoning application for our first backyard home in Florence. We have almost 10 backyard proposals outstanding and two micro-cottage communities in their early planning stages. This spring and summer is going to be a blast and it is thanks to the warm embrace we've received from virtually everyone in the Pioneer Valley since last November.
We are "flying" house parts [with a crane] in Easthampton on Thursday morning starting around 7:00am. If you'd like to watch us unwrap and move 30' house parts with a crane, you are more that welcome to come. However, please be courteous of where you park as the local residents of Mayher and Grove St will likely be leaving for work during the set.
We were also invited to participate in our local Habitat For Humanity's Small Home Forum at the end of this month. THANK YOU Jess and Megan, we were honored by the invitation. Reserve your tickets soon,because this forum is likely to hit capacity.
2/21 – 3/9 News
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City Updates:
Portsmouth, NH has approved 22 ADU applications since the city updated their bylaw in April of 2017 making them a leader in the movement. Read the article.
Greenfield, MA continues to make the case for increasing the density of their neighborhoods. Katherine Golub made an elegant case for the changes by referencing her time living in the Netherlands in a recent Gazette op-ed. Read the article.
Do you have an update about your city/town? Email us and we'll include it in our next newsletter.
Events:
Setting of Easthampton Project
Where: Grove St, Easthampton
When: March 12th @ 7:00am – 9:30am
Register: https://www.facebook.com/events/272656140376848/
Northampton Downsizing Forum: Local Rules for Backyard Tiny Homes
Where: Forbes Library
When: March 11th @ 6:30pm
Register: https://www.facebook.com/events/614805209303878/
Habitat for Humanity's Small Home Forum
Where: Greenfield Community College Dining Commons
When: March 27th @ 8:30am – 12:30pm
Register: https://www.pvhabitat.org/events/small-home-forum-2020/
Featuring keynote speaker Sheri Koones!
Autism Conference (we'll be there providing housing information)
Where: Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel
When: April 2nd @ 8:00am – 4:00pm
Register: https://autismconnectionsma.org/en/news-and-events/autism-conference/
Stayed tuned for events in Pelham, Greenfield and a "how to" on building and then selling micro-cottages on your land.
If you'd like to partner on an information session, please ask! We love to partnering with realtors, banks, schools, churches, breweries, etc!
MORE NEWS!
New Blog
Want to see how we build in excruciating detail? We've been posting photos and detailed explanations about our construction process. This includes tons of photo of our offsite construction work in Middleburg.
See how the house was built in 5 days.
Interest Rates Are SUPER Low
The recent drop in interest rates means you could save thousands of dollars on your backyard home project. Greenfield Coop's 30 year fixed rate dropped to 3%! If you are looking for a reason to pull your project forward, this could be it.
Mass Appeal
We joined the Western Mass Tiny Home Initiative on Mass Appeal last week to talk about the micro cottage communities we plan to build together. The interview was only 4 minutes, but we got our message across! watch our segment
Amherst Council on Aging Session Was Success!
We held our information session about Amherst's local rules last week. We had an engaged audience of around of about 40 residents. The homeowners were collecting information to build backyard homes for aging parents, to downsize, generate rental income and for people with a disability using the $50k available from Massachusetts' HMLP. Our videographer, PA recorded the session and you can watch it here.